Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are tender and juicy in a sweet and sticky sauce.
These flavorful chicken thighs with sauce are perfect for serving over fluffy white rice and garnished with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
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Ingredients
- Chicken thighs - Medium-sized with skin and bone in. You can use boneless instead.
- Soy sauce - Use low-sodium soy sauce if you want to reduce your sodium intake.
- Ketchup - Passata or tomato sauce can be used instead but the sugar from the ketchup will be missing.
- Garlic - Minced, grated, or pressed. Use fresh whenever possible. I don't recommend garlic powder, as it will simply lack flavor and produce a quite different end result.
- Ginger - Fresh and grated.
- Cornstarch slurry - You'll need 3 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Garnish - Sesame seeds and green onion/scallions.
How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Step By Step Photos
- Spray a 4 quart slow cooker/crock pot (you can use larger too) with olive oil and place all the ingredients except cornstarch + water.
- Cook 2-3 hours on HIGH or LOW for 4-5 hours. Check the chicken for doneness, kitchen thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken should register 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the chicken thighs and leave the honey garlic sauce in the slow cooker. At this point, you can either shred the chicken with two forks or leave it as is.
- Make cornstarch slurry (3 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon water). Slowly pour into the cooker and whisk until incorporated into the sauce. Let cook for 10-15 minutes on HIGH setting until the sauce is thickened nicely.
- Carefully return the chicken and baste it with the sauce. Serve with sesame seeds and green onions.
- For added smoky flavor and extra heat. sprinkle red pepper flakes when serving.
Tips
- While it's not a necessary step in this recipe, you can brown the chicken thighs first before cooking them in the slow cooker. This will add a delicious caramelized crust to the chicken skin and lock in flavor.
- Be careful not to overdo it with the honey. Too much will make this dish overly sweet. You can also skip the ketchup and use high quality passata (no sugar added) and add only little honey.
- I've added a cornstarch slurry to the sauce towards the end of the recipe to thicken it. Another way to thicken the sauce is to remove the lid of the slow cooker and allow the sauce mixture to continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
- Serve these chicken thighs with fluffy white rice or a side of vegetables for a complete meal. For time saving, make the rice in rice cooker if you have one.
- Flavor: savory (lots of sodium comes from the soy sauce, you can make it less salty by using low sodium soy sauce or mixing low one with water 1:1) + sweetness from honey + pungent ick from garlicky ginger. Sweet and sour but sweeter I'd say.
Julia's Tip
You can sneak in one or two smaller chicken thighs, as there should also be enough sauce for these.
However, the sauce will be quite thick the next day, and I usually like to have extra sauce to pour over chicken and rice when serving.
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- Shred the chicken thighs and use them in sandwiches, wraps, and tacos.
- Make a shredded chicken salad with lots of lettuce or cabbage, vegetables, and light dressing.
- Use the leftovers in stir-fries, and pasta, and serve with the same style of sauce.
- Make a simple vegetable soup or stew and add the chicken.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store. Let the chicken cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. The sauce will thicken and you may need to add some water or broth to return the initial consistency.
- To Freeze. Follow the same steps and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
- To Make Ahead. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop. Stir constantly until warmed through.
Before You Head Out
If you gave this recipe a try, I'd be so thankful if you could leave a ★★★★★ rating and review below. It helps other readers, supports my work, and means the world to me. Thank you for being part of The Yummy Bowl family. Happy cooking! ❤️
Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cook 2-3 hours on HIGH or LOW for 4-5 hours. Check the chicken for doneness, kitchen thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken should register 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the chicken thighs and leave the honey garlic sauce in the slow cooker.
- Make cornstarch slurry (3 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon water). Slowly pour into cooker and whisk until incorporated into the sauce. Let cook for 10-15 minutes on HIGH setting until the sauce is thickened nicely.
- Return the chicken and baste with the sauce. Serve with sesame seeds, green onions. For added smoky flavor and extra heat. sprinkle red pepper flakes when serving.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Flavor: savory (lots of sodium comes from the soy sauce, you can make it less salty by using low sodium soy sauce or mixing low one with water 1:1) + sweetness from honey + pungent ick from garlicky ginger. Sweet and sour but sweeter I'd say.
- In theory, you can sneak in one or two smaller chicken thighs as there should be enough sauce for these as well however the sauce will be quite thick on the next day and I usually like to have extra sauce to pour over chicken and rice when serving.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try our Taco Soup, Chicken Chili, or Massaman Beef Curry next time.
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Honey Garlic Chicken: FAQs
Both chicken breast and chicken thigh meat are good choices for cooking in the slow cooker.
Chicken breasts are leaner than chicken thighs which means that they can dry out more quickly. The fattier content in chicken thighs will also provide greater flavor to the cooked meat and the dish as a whole.
Absolutely! The slow cooker is ideal for cooking raw chicken, creating an environment that kills bacteria while tenderizing the meat and locking in delicious flavor.
No. I haven't browned my chicken thighs before adding them to the slow cooker with the other ingredients but many people do prefer to brown the chicken first.
Browning the chicken thighs will caramelize the skin and will also lock in the flavors. It's definitely an extra step that's well worth the time.
These bone-in chicken thighs can be cooked on LOW or HIGH, depending on your preference.
If you only have boneless chicken for this dish then I recommend cooking on LOW as the meat can easily dry out if cooked on HIGH.
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Frederick
Great all here items are great
BudgetCook
You can definitely use drumsticks or even breast, though keep an eye on the cooking time as breast dries out faster. Drumsticks are often cheaper and just as delicious!
SpiceLover101
Added some chili flakes and a bit of sriracha, and it was a hit in my house! Go for it, Geoff!
Karen_from_nextdoor
Just had to jump in and say THANK YOU, Julia! Your slow cooker honey garlic chicken was a massive hit with the kids and hubby. Finally, a recipe that's as easy as it is tasty. Looking forward to more recipes like this.
chilli_bean
ive been looking for easy protein-packed meals, and this slow cooker chicken seems like a hit. can't wait to try it over some brown rice for those post-workout gains!
Dan_the_Man
thank you, the chicken turned out delicious and everyone loved it
SammyT
Hey Julia, quick q about the honey garlic chicken thighs - do you think it'd work well if I threw in some carrots and potatoes into the slow cooker? Looking for a one-pot meal for the fam. Thanks!
Julia
I haven't tried this variations, if you add, chop them into thicker pieces and let me know how it goes!
Yolanda
This was such a big hit with my family! I randomly found the recipe when I did a Google search for honey soy slow cooker chicken, and this is the best honey soy I've come across so far! My 9yo finished his entire bowl and said "It tasted way better than it looked." I love his honesty, haha. I had shredded the chicken and added a bunch of veggies, so ours did look like a bit of a mash, but everyone enjoyed it and didn't complain, so that's a huge win! Thank you for the great recipe - I have saved it for future dinners!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you! The dishes that don't look ''picture perfect'' most of the time are the best in flavor haha :))
Julia
Delicious honey garlic chicken thighs are loaded with incredible flavor and leftovers can be easily turned into sandwich, wrap or tacos!